And, of course, this past August 30th, Slinky was the first Pennsylvania toy to get its own historical marker. Slinky — the popular springy children’s toy — is getting the Hollywood treatment. In 1963, she mortgaged her house to push the Slinky at the New York Toy Fair, attracting new orders and attention. Place Original Slinky® on top stair. Shrinky Dinks rose to popularity in the eighties and are now a globally recognized brand of activity craft kits for kids all based on the magic of plastic sheets that can be cut, colored and then shrunk and hardened when heated in the oven. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Walk Slinky® down stairs! Poof-Slinky factory, Hollidaysburg, Pa. (not open to tours). Production of the Slinky moved to Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, in the mid-1960s.

Just Play plans to launch the 75th Anniversary Slinky collection in the US in August and continue the milestone anniversary celebration at Toy Fair New York and worldwide retail in 2021. Betty James’ life is a moment in American history where women proved they could not only survive in the face of despair but flourish when the opportunity presented itself. Invented by accident in a Philadelphia shipyard, the Slinky has become one of the most popular toys in the world. © Copyright 2020 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. She leafed through a dictionary and picked “slinky,” meaning graceful in movement. Read Next: Singapore Festival Unveils Lineup for Hybrid Edition, Warner Bros. Apologizes After ‘The Witches’ Sparks Backlash From People With Disabilities, ‘Magic Wall’ Technology Leads Election Night Coverage as Networks Jump on Trend, Christopher Nolan Defends ‘Tenet’ Box Office Results, 'The Masked Singer' Reveals the Identity of the Squiggly Monster: Here's the Star Under the Mask.

I immediately connected with Betty James. In an era dominated by male CEOs, Betty James held her own and helped turn the Slinky into a must-have item for kids. Principal photography is expected to begin in 2021. Leading global toy company, Just Play, is thrilled to announce the acquisition of two iconic children’s brands: Slinky® and Shrinky Dinks®. Just Play is reopening the Hollidaysburg, PA facility where Slinky and Shrinky Dinks are produced and rehiring employees to maintain all U.S. based jobs and manufacturing. Former site of James Industries, Portico Street (Germantown), Philadelphia. Invented by accident in a Philadelphia shipyard, the Slinky is a stack of coiled metal that becomes a bit of oscillating magic, a moving, traveling toy perfect for flipping head-over-heels to “walk” down stairs. 26 ("Although the name Slinky knit has been trademarked by Horizon Fabrics, it is also used to describe similar fabrics made by other mills.")

Slinky was invented and made famous by Richard and Betty James, a U.S. Navy mechanical engineer and his wife, who first introduced it to Christmas shoppers at the Gimbels department store in Philadelphia in 1945. the first employee in Bellwood was hired may 8 1961. “Talking Toys with Betty James; Persevering for Family and Slinky.” New York Times, February 21, 1996. (Photograph by Arthur Murphy for The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia). Quick Trick! Dino Ladki, who long championed development of the movie, will serve as an executive producer. Scott, Sharon M. Toys and American Culture: An Encyclopedia. The Jameses rented factory space in Germantown, where the new James Industries operated six machines turning out 100 Slinkys an hour. This drawing of the Slinky showing how it would move down steps is among the illustrations submitted by Richard James in his patent application. Required fields are marked *, Copyright © 2020 Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, Philadelphia - A 'city of firsts' that feels little need to brag (WHYY, January 14, 2012), What old-school toys are due for a comeback? Witchel, Alex. For the next two years, James tested metals and proportions before hitting upon a workable model. Just Play, the toy company behind the Slinky, is also producing the film. Betty James said her husband had donated so much money to the religious group that they were almost bankrupt. A spring a spring, a marvelous thing. “When I read her story I was so inspired by the ups and downs of their rags to riches tale. A standard Slinky cost $4.99, but buyers did not have to settle for steel: a 14k-gold-plated version was available for $149.99.

Slinky — the popular springy children’s toy — is getting the Hollywood treatment. With long-standing legacies as award-winning products that ignite kids’ imaginations, both Slinky and Shrinky Dinks will continue to inspire creativity and innovation with new products from Just Play arriving at retailers this fall. Slinky® has been the official state toy of Pennsylvania (where it was created) since 2001! “We are thrilled to partner with Be Brave Media to share the inspiring story of how this innovative product became one of the best-selling playthings of all time.”. Leading global toy company, Just Play, is thrilled to announce the acquisition of two iconic children’s brands: Slinky® and Shrinky Dinks®. By continuing to use this site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. “We are very excited to add the beloved and celebrated Slinky and Shrinky Dinks brands and team members to Just Play’s family,” said Geoffrey Greenberg, Co-President of Just Play. The toy has known international success, having walked on the Great Wall of China and blasted into space aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1985. With long-standing legacies as award-winning products that ignite kids’ imaginations, both Slinky and Shrinky Dinks will continue to inspire creativity and innovation with new products from Just Play arriving at retailers this fall. James had a Philadelphia piston-ring firm make about 450 Slinkys, and a big break came in 1945 when Gimbels department store, a giant of the Market Street East retail corridor, agreed to try out the Slinky during the Christmas rush. But in running the company alone, she forged a path for female CEOs. 2020 marks Slinky’s seventy-fifth anniversary, and Pennsylvania-based Just Play is excited to celebrate Slinky’s heritage as an American-made toy with a rich Pennsylvania history. Why Is 'Saturday Night Live' Suddenly Booking So Many Older Rock Bands? His stock of 400, priced at $1 each, sold out in ninety minutes.

She was an intrepid woman who’s goal in life was to create joy and make people happy.”. “Slinky has been one of the most popular toys for generations,” said Just Play co-president Geoffrey Greenberg. Ex. It can perform a number of tricks, including travelling down a flight of steps end-over-end as it stretches and re-forms itself with the aid of gravity and its own momentum, or appear to levitate for a period of time after it has been dropped.

I had no idea the iconic toy told the story of American innovation, domestic drama and the rise of the female executive. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. In 1946, Slinky made its debut to the public at the American Toy Fair. Betty James died in Philadelphia at age 90 in 2008. Jeff Gammage is a reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Always made in Pennsylvania, the Slinky became standard-issue equipment for generations of American children and a familiar, fun plaything for grown-ups as well. Slinky Patent Application Illustration. “The Invention of the Slinky.” Priceonomics, December 3, 2014. The history is missing a piece. Davis is represented by Verve, 3 Arts Entertainment and law firm Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler, Feldman & Clark. You can visit it on Baltimore Pike in Clifton Heights. Both Slinky and Shrinky Dinks are recognized by TIME® Magazine as two of the Top-All Time 100 Greatest Toys. “Tamra was an instant and instinctual choice for us to helm this film,” Rubino said. Physicists experimented with the Slinky for its reactions to gravity, and math teachers have used it in lessons about equilibrium. Shrinky Dinks was invented in 1973 by two Wisconsin moms who created it as a Cub Scouts project. Her embrace of national advertising made the Slinky jingle familiar: What walks down stairsalone or in pairs and makes a slinkety sound? Your email is never shared. Just Play Acquires Slinky and Shrinky Dinks, Annual Opening of TAGIE Award Nominations Kicks Off with Announcement of New Name and New Virtual Program for 2020. “I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to tell the story of Betty James; a female inventor, business woman and dedicated mother who with her husband Dick James invented the Slinky,” Davis said in a statement. I know this because my Mother In Law worked at the Bellwood plant making the slinky. The Slinky survived and prospered while traveling the globe, the stars, and the stairways of homes across America.

The first order of Slinkys (400 in total) arrived at Gimbels department store in November 1945 and sold out in ninety minutes. With the help of live demonstrations, they sold out of all 400 Slinkys in just two hours. Join the discussion at a Greater Philadelphia Roundtable or add your nomination online.

Charlie Emby, Co President of Just Play and Toy Association Board Member, added: “For 75 years, Slinky has been one of the most popular and recognizable playthings around the world. This drawing of the Slinky showing how it would move down a stepped structure is among the illustrations submitted by Richard James in his patent application in 1946. Tamra Davis, the filmmaker of “Billy Madison” and “Half Baked,” is set to direct “Slinky,” a movie based on the true story behind the inception of the playroom staple.

My mother in law was hired 3/21/62. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-Clio/Greenwood, 2009. Betty James added Slinky Junior, plastic versions, and rainbow colors, and she agreed to Slinky Dog’s inclusion in the 1995 Toy Story movie, which brought new sales. (WHYY, December 7, 2012), Toy and Process of Use (Patent for the Slinky, 1947), 1960s Slinky Commercial (Slinky Toys via YouTube), 1970s Slinky Commercial (Slinky Toys via YouTube), 1990s Slinky Commercial (Slinky Toys via YouTube), PhilaPlace: Cramp Shipyard (Historical Society of Pennsylvania), Philadelphia, the Place that Loves You Back, (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office via Google Patents, “Talking Toys with Betty James; Persevering for Family and Slinky.”. Slinky has become a global best-seller, with over 250 million sold to date, earning numerous awards and accolades, including induction into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2000 and a spot in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in 2002. Richard James shocked his family by announcing that he was going to Bolivia to join the evangelical Wycliffe Bible Translators. Id. While trying to devise a spring to keep sensitive shipboard equipment from jostling on the high seas, he experimented with hundreds of coils. We look forward to bringing this cherished product, along with the popular Shrinky Dinks, to new generations of kids.”. Joanne Rubino is producing the film through her Be Brave Media production banner. Later, production moved to Clifton Heights in Delaware County.



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